Hiking the Appalachian Trail
South to North - Georgia to Maine

Since I began hiking the trail I have begun to feel cleansed. I was talking to the Malstrom’s, the New Jersey family that took me and a couple of hikers in for a few days and really treated us really great. With the lake and the water-skiing, and the food… just everything. Just the fact that weren’t sleeping outside in all of the rainstorms that happened during those days made if great all by itself. But the Malstrom’s, (Dick, Linda, Lindsey and Elizabeth) were all just incredible people.

When we showed up to the doorstep of this really beautiful house and on Culver Lake. It’s like a five mile, 50-acre lake or whatever and they just took us in, not really knowing much about us. Just that we were hiking the Trail. One day I was talking to Dick, the dad of the family… A very religious family, that here they are, living the lifestyle, which really impressed me. Because like I said, I’m not very religious. A lot of people go to church, and they put off like they’re going to be the ones in heaven and I kinda frown on that. I think it’s putting on a show sometimes but these people actually live it, and I truly believe that its nice to have all of that nice stuff, but I think that if they didn’t have it, they would still be as happy as they are now. They work hard, they made a nice life for themselves and I respect that. But, the fact that they live with their religious beliefs makes me wonder a little bit about my beliefs, because I’m not very religious and I was talking to Dick, and I told him how I when I first started the trail. I started this hike searching for an identity, maybe just to think about what I wanted to do in the future, all kinds of things. Just more about myself I guess, and I was talking to Dick, and I told him how anger… I had a lot of anger when I first started hiking, just blunt stress and a lot of anger. I don’t know why but maybe some things I didn’t let go when my dad passed away. I don’t know, he didn’t get a chance to see me graduate high school, or from junior college, or from Shepherd College.

He used to always preach, get an education, get an education. He only had an elementary education and really didn’t know how to, I don’t know put this, but he did not know how to put me in the right direction. But he knew that getting an education was the best way, or he realized that after his few years of working that education was a good key to get out of… our situation. Anyway the fact that he died before he could see me achieve some of the things that he wanted me to do just upset me I guess. When I first started hiking, it was funny, I think that’s what got me in towards the end.

I think some of that stress and anger probably got me through Georgia and North Carolina, Tennessee. When I got to Damascus, Virginia of course I felt stressed for getting home for graduation, but I was telling Dick, now I’m at the point where graduation’s over with, I feel really at ease.

I’m really enjoying the trip. My miles are now at 15 to 20 miles per day. Some days there are only 6 to 8 miles and I try to enjoy every view I can, but we were talking and I was just like, of all things, how do I end up here? You know, if I didn’t take this trip, I wouldn’t have been here and, it just seems like everything seems to be… I don’t know, pushing me in a certain direction, and I’m kinda going with it, and like I said I’m not really religious. When I was young, we went to church camp, and I got saved, as they say, but I was pretty much scared into it. I thought my life was pretty tough growing up, because we didn’t have a lot of things. But this kid, we were in a group, started telling us about his life and I was just like, God, how selfish could I be? I thought I had it bad, this kid really had it bad. You know I remember going up in my bunk in tears.

But anyway as time went on and I got into high school and of course got away from going to church. Then I met Dick and I told him the little scenario and I was saying that now, it’s like I meet people and I’m not getting scared into religion. It’s kinda like I am spiritual, but I’m not religious. It’s kinda funny how I was scared into getting saved then, but now it seems like I’m getting all these examples and it’s making me say hey "its your choice." And here it is inside of you, but you’re too blind to see it. Like a turning point. But we talked, and he gave me a few things to think about, and I told you about John Bunyon’s book Pilgrim Process. I’m not sure but… its just a book about a guy who’s out searching like I was, and it was funny because the picture on the book had a guy with a big, heavy backpack, and its was like geez, it’s like I saw my face on his, on that book. It stood out like my little journey.

Anyway, the Malstom’s were just super nice people, just awesome… So I went on and got back on the trail, went to Unionville, stayed at a little hostel. There was a little bar there, it had a guy who was playing live music, it was awesome. Then I left there and went into Greenwood Lake a couple of days later I guess, and met a couple of really nice people there. Guys’s name is Bobby, don’t know his last. The name of the place is O’Hare’s Pub, and there were some really nice people.

Typical day workers. They were Italian and Irish. It’s just funny, the term "forget about it" to them is like my always saying "It’s all good." To them I guess that their way of saying, "It’s all good," or "forget about it, don’t worry about it." I stayed outside behind the pub, Bobby let me do that because it was just before a weekend and all the hotels or motels were booked up for the weekend.

Then I got up and caught the bus to New York City, and it was funny, because when I got on the bus, people of course took notice of the guy with the salt stained shirt and bandana. Cell phones were going off like crazy and I was like, I guess I’m not in the woods anymore. Of course there’s people who just started laughing at that, because they thought I was some homeless bum, and then I told them what I was doing and they thought it was awesome. As we were getting closer and closer to New York City all you could see were the skyscrapers.

I met my friends at the Port Authority bus station and everybody was running around. You really notice the difference between New York and Winchester, VA. I think it was good growing up where I did. Being from the south and just hiking from Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee you really see the difference in the people. You hear that Yankee’s or northerners were rude and just mad, but I think it’s just a big misconception because everybody I’ve met so far are just super nice. Yeah, they are in a fast pace, but they’ve got things to do, but that shouldn’t be mistaken for being rude. I’ve been at the corner of the street when somebody waved me off, to go first and I thought that was pretty nice. So I got here and we just laid low, then Monday we got up and we took the subway. It’s so cool to take the subway, I mean I guess not for a lot of people, but to get on a train underneath the ground, then you just pop up and you’re at an entirely different place. I’m staying in Brooklyn and we go to Manhattan and it just lets you pop up and it’s a whole different atmosphere. It’s just kind of weird.

We went across the Brooklyn Bridge on Monday to do some sight seeing and we ate sushi and just had a great time. And Tuesday, saw the boat parade and the harbor and all the navy and all the sails. All these boats came in to the harbor and they’re from everywhere. From Canada and England, all over the world. We watched the parade of boats and we went on a chartered fishing boat that is usually used for fishing but my friend knew the owner and he had chartered it for watching fireworks on the 4^th of July. We went to Coney Island and it took us around to the Brooklyn area.

So we’re on this big fishing boat and it was probably 35 people on the boat, they had a band, and they were just rocking. The guy did a real good job, he parked us in a great location, overlooking Manhattan. So they set the fireworks off and the fireworks were just phenomenal. They were so big and there were so many of them, just crazy. Then on the way back at night, with New York City lit up, I got some great pictures; The Statue of Liberty all lit up. Didn’t get a chance to go there, but yesterday I did get to the Empire State Building. That was pretty cool. That was one of the things to do in my life. To go to New York City was one of them, but of course, The Empire State Building, seeing a Yankees game. Oh yeah I forgot about that too. Went to the Yankees game last night. They played the Orioles. And you know technically, I’m an Orioles fan, but it was just cool to be at the stadium and all the tradition of the Yankees. And the fans, are pretty rowdy, and they’re tough too, but like I said there was a lot of good nature. The Yankee’s won like 12-6, with a lot of home runs. Derek Jeter was phenomenal, he’s awesome, he’s their shortstop.

Then just getting ready to get back on the trail, and off to Stormville. I guess that’s my next stop. The next big thing that’s probably on my list is there’s a reggae-fest in Vermont. The Vermont Reggae-Fest. I think it’s July 29^th. I probably won’t be anywhere near Vermont by then, but there’s a guy I’ve been hiking with and he’s going to go home during that period of time. I’m going to call him, so I can maybe hitch hike or do something to get hooked up with him to go see the show. I’d really like to go and see that.

I guess after that I’m really going to have to get serious about my hiking (laughs) and get going. Like I said, I’m most likely going to get done the first of September, or the middle of September. It won’t be any earlier than the end of August. So anyway have a great week, talk to you later. And the people in New York I stayed with are Jim and Maureen, and they were just phenomenal. My goodness they were the perfect definition of true angels. And I’ve been so fortunate to have a few of them, or a lot of them on this trail. Just great trail magic. And like I said, I had a wonderful time in New York City. Can’t believe I’m here, this big Hillbilly looking guy. But I had a great time and I will talk to you later.

Next Report Return to Reports Main

If you would like to sponsor Perry's quest to hike the Appalachian Trail, please click here